Maithri pushed me to re-enter politics

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday revealed that he re-entered the political arena after 8 January 2015, due to the coalition government's attempt to divide the country through a new Constitution.

Addressing the mammoth gathering at the inaugural rally of the 'Peraliyaka Arambuma' in Nugegoda, Rajapaksa stressed, even though he wanted to retire from politics, President Maithripala Sirisena's actions made him decide against quitting politics.

"I never wanted to come back to politics. All I wanted was a rest and some peace after the presidential election. But, the actions of this government are dragging the country towards disaster.

They are even trying to divide this country, which was rescued by the war heroes through immense sacrifices. That is why they presented this new Constitution. I could not sit and watch that happening," he added.

At the rally, which was held in Nugegoda two years ago, in 2015, people asked me to return to the political arena. So I thought that it would be better to give in to the people's request to protect the country which was once rescued," Rajapaksa asserted.

The former President said, "During my time in office, I invited leaders of the North for discussions, in order to find a solution to the national problem. But they turned my request down, due to the dictates of Western countries, because I never knelt down before the Western world."

Furthermore, Rajapaksa hit out at the government saying that it keeps selling national assets for short-term benefits. "The government, which gave hundreds of promises to the people, has now turned its back on them. People are living amidst a thousand difficulties today. The authorities have failed to give them any relief by not reducing the cost of living," he added.

Rajapaksa also mentioned the Central Bank Bond Scam. He stressed that the government does not take any action to correct it.

However, when he takes power, his government will take back every cent the country lost, he added.

"The President himself accepted that there was a scam behind the Central Bank bond transaction. But he also does not take any action against it. In fact, he seems to support these misdeeds and corruption," Rajapaksa stressed.